The History of Eyeshadow

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One of my favorite cosmetics products is eyeshadow, I think it’s a lot of fun to play with to apply on eyelids and under eyebrows. And can be used to add depth, dimension, and expression of creativity. This is not a new product to hit the market in the last few decades like most cosmetics products. It can be traced back to Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and India.

All early accounts of ancient civilizations used a version of kohl made from lead, oxidized copper, ochre, ash, malachite, crushed antimony, burnt almonds and chrysocolla ore. Egyptians used eyeshadows to give their eyes the desired almond shape to accentuate the eyes. Often shadows were brown, beige and nude tones. Eyeshadow was mainly used by royalty to make them appear more like gods and goddesses.

Greek versions of eyeshadows were hues of blues and greens. The Roman version of eye shadows was made with recipes that involved herbs, crushed minerals, dried flowers, animal sources, and crystallized dyes from plants. In India on the other hand it was used to help protect their eyes from sun, disease and the evil eye. Iberia used eyeshadow to ward off disease and for beautification in the 10th century. In Japan girls used flower petals, bird droppings, and rice flours as eyeshadow in the 11th century.

The modern version of eyeshadow was born in the 1920s during the fashion revolution. Unwanted effects and ingredients were removed from the process to make more desirable pigments and eyeshadows. The FDA since the re-formulation has adjusted the allowed substances and banned the use of several lake dyes from use around the eye area due to them potentially causing staining.

Love ya,

Mae Polzine

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